Personifying Progress: Negotiating Autonomy, Obligation and Intergenerational Aspirations in the Philippines

Abstract

In much of the rural Philippines, young adults are assigned and assume pivotal roles in helping their families ‘get ahead’ in an age of mobility and economic transformation. On Siquijor Island, parents from small-scale fishing and farming backgrounds invest heavily in children’s education, partly in the hope that they will gain ‘professional’ employment and send remittances. Despite the duties this entails for young people, Siquijodnon characterise the period of pre-marital education and employment in terms of freedom and modernity. This article explores the interplay of ideals of obligation and autonomy for young women, in a context where intergenerational conflict over their life paths is prevalent. While in theories of personhood, individualism and relationality have long been constructed as opposites, the article shows that rather than ideals of individualism replacing those of relationality, both discourses have intensified, resulting in heightened pressures on young women.